Chickasaw Cultural Center Hosts Three Sisters Celebration March 19-25

SULPHUR, Okla. – Celebrate the return of spring at the Chickasaw Cultural Center's annual Three Sisters Celebration, March 19-25.

The Three Sisters festival features a variety of outdoor activities and games which embrace the rebirth and rejuvenation of spring, with a special emphasis on the cultural connection to horticulture.

An ancient Chickasaw method of gardening, "Three Sisters" (beans, corn and squash) uses an intercropping system to grow the plants simultaneously while promoting soil fertility and healthy crops.

During the Three Sisters Celebration, horticulture-related activities such as butterfly garden tours, cultivation lessons, native plant tours and food tasting will be offered.

Participants may take part in a variety of games, including stickball, chunky and marbles.

Other scheduled events include make and take art, stomp dance demonstrations, and storytelling.

"Bearer of the Morning" Screening and Exhibit

"Bearer of the Morning - The Life of Te Ata Thompson Fisher" documentary will be screened daily at 1 p.m., in the Anoliꞌ Theater.

The gripping documentary traces the life of Mary Thompson Fisher, who was known as "Te Ata," from her Chickasaw roots in Indian Territory to the New York social scene and White House performances. It also offers details about her international travels in her later years.

A companion exhibit, "Bearer of the Morning – The Life of Te Ata Thompson Fisher," is now open in the Aapisaꞌ Art Gallery.

The exhibit pays homage to Te Ata, which means "Bearer of the Morning," for her long and distinguished career entertaining audiences across the globe.

The exhibit features Te Ata's personal items from her 60-plus-year career, including a beaded buckskin dress on loan from the Chickasaw Nation Council House Museum Collection, belts, purses and bracelets she collected during her world travels, and hand-beaded moccasins, circa 1910. A hand drum used in Te Ata's performances and a pair of beaded sashes are also on display in the exhibit.

Authentic props used in filming the feature film "TE ATA," including a canoe, writing desk and a washing basin are also included in the exhibit.

The Chickasaw Cultural Center's Three Sisters Celebration is free and open to the public.

The Chickasaw Cultural Center, 867 Cooper Memorial Drive, is open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday noon - 5 p.m.

For more information, contact the Chickasaw Cultural Center at (580) 622-7130 or http://ChickasawNation.pr-optout.com/Tracking.aspx?Data=HHL%3d9%2c52%3e%26JDG%3c%3b48%2c879%26SDG%3c90%3a.&RE=MC&RI=5299123&Preview=False&DistributionActionID=21098&Action=Follow+Link